Method or Message?

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Should we call it the “Feldenkrais Method” or the “Feldenkrais Message?” Lately, I’ve been going through recordings and transcripts of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais teaching workshops to the public. I had listened to some before but was often dissuaded from continuing because of poor recording quality, long talks, and thinking that to fully appreciate the lessons,

What is Natural Movement?

In my last post (click here to read), I talked about how seemingly natural movements are not necessarily so natural. I also said that I would write about how to make your movement practice more natural, or effective. However it’s taken me quite some time to get this post ready because defining what is natural movement for humans is not so easy as we are capable of learning and developing a vast array of movements. If you compare the movements of a ballet dancer, to a strong woman competitor, to a surgeon to a musician, you will find high levels of vastly different skill sets and abilities.

What I can glean from researching articles and advertisements from natural movement proponents is that natural movement is the ideal movement from our evolution as a species. The reasoning goes like this: Our species reached its highest level of movement development as hunter/gatherers and since that time, with the advent of agriculture and later, the industrial revolution and now smart phones, we’ve been declining in strength and ability ever since. Therefore, in order to regain our optimal health, we need to return to doing things like our ancestors did. So that means, the dancer, the strong woman athlete, the surgeon and the violinist should all possess some common movement abilities, as should the rest of us.

In response to our modern lifestyle, with all the conveniences that “save us time and energy,” and destroy our collective health, there are a growing number of “natural” or “primal” based fitness methods sprouting up all over the fitness landscape. From my perspective as a Feldenkrais practitioner, this is a welcome and long overdue development.

Some years ago, I felt that Father Time was prematurely catching up to me in the inevitable race. I know, at least intellectually, that I’ll lose this race, but I was falling behind too soon for my taste. Adult life, with its responsibilities and spoils had turned me into sluggish blob. The worst part

It’s pretty clear that the general population isn’t in a very healthy state. Of course there are exceptions and some are very healthy, while others are barely alive. In the past several years, there have been a number of interesting discoveries of correlations between how we move, how we think, and how healthier we are.

Never before have we (those of us who are lucky enough to be so privileged) had so much access to such a rich variety of movement opportunities. We can go dancing, do yoga, crossfit, primal moves, and it seems like every week a new and better movement system is born. Plus, we’re continually reminded of

On Saturday, January Lena Petersson Tarr (my wife) and I taught a Feldenkrais workshop entitled, “Balance Beyond the Middle.” One of the participant’s stories was particularly moving and reminded us of how important balance can be, beyond just being able to stand on one leg (a common test of balance). Balance: We all know what it

I remember once talking to a body therapist about the Feldenkrais Method. She said, (much to my dismay) that it seemed as if the Feldenkrais Practitioners she knew (I was not included because we had just met, but I will sheepishly admit to having been guilty of this behaviour at times in the past) always

With new discoveries in how our brains function, it has become clear that we can continue learning and growing our cognitive abilities at any age. And while it’s inevitable that, as we age, we’ll lose some abilities, there are ways to delay, and in some cases even reverse the decline. One such method is using

Does exercise support cognition, in other words better thinking? And if so, how much and what kind is most effective? These questions are being asked over an over, and the conclusion seems to be: that exercise has positive effects on how we think. Dr. John Ratey’s (author of Spark and Go Wild) website “Sparking Life”